Have you ever found out that something you thought was true, was actually false? Those ‘my whole life is a lie’ moments can happen to anyone and it’s particularly frustrating when the real answer actually makes complete sense and you can’t figure out why you ever believed the other thing in the first place. I have had moments like that, specifically with the topic of productivity.

Here are some productivity myths that you should stop believing.

1. Productivity = more work

A great deal of people seem to think that the act of being productive means you are doing more work than you would normally do. And while it can lead to getting more things done, that isn’t the true purpose of being productive. The true purpose of productivity is to gain time. Whether that time is spent doing something you love, hanging with family or friends, or getting started on the next task is completely up to you. It’s your time, spend it how you would like.

2. Get the small things done first

Why?! The more I think about it, the worse this idea seems. I understand it though, the idea is to ease yourself into the work day. But easing yourself into a task by doing that task little by little until you get on a roll is different from avoiding it entirely until you’ve done other tasks that don’t matter. If you think about it, why would you waste precious time doing things that don’t really matter and leaving the important things for later? You don’t know what’s going to happen later. What if you end up not having time to do the important tasks and then you’re stuck working into the night because you have to finish? It seems pretty silly to me.

3. Working better under pressure

No, you don’t work better under pressure. That is an excuse. Seriously, who likes the panicked feeling of having to get something done ASAP or else something bad will happen? This is simply an excuse for procrastinators who think have no other choice. But they do. Scheduling out your time more efficiently and getting past whatever is holding you back from getting started on a task is so rewarding. It feels good knowing you’ve done something really well because you had the time to do it well.

4. Multitasking increases efficiency

Multitasking has made its way into business vernacular. In job interviews, potential employers always ask “are you a good at multitasking?” And not being good at multitasking can be considered bad. People have started to believe that spreading your focus out on a variety of different things will make them more productive but that’s not true. It might actually take you longer than it would if you did those tasks separately. Switching from one to the next causes you to have to refocus every time you change. This is a waste of time. Wouldn’t it be better to focus on each individual task, giving it your undivided attention in order to do it in the very best way possible? Just a thought.